Murmansk Governorate
Encyclopedia
Murmansk Governorate was an administrative division (a guberniya
) of the early Russian SFSR
which existed in 1921–1927. The governorate was established on the territory of former Alexandrovsky Uyezd
of Arkhangelsk Governorate
by the All-Russian Central Executive Committee
(VTsIK) Decree issued on June 13, 1921. The administrative center was in Murmansk
.
s and had three cities and towns. However, just one month after the creation of the governorate, a new project of the administrative-territorial division was proposed at the First Congress of the Governorate Soviets. According to the project, the governorate's territory was to be divided into four uyezd
s:
The proposal, however, was shelved and a special commission was appointed to study the possibilities of changing the administrative-territorial structure of the governorate.
The project was approved at the session of the Murmansk Governorate Economic Conference on January 2, 1923 and sent for further consideration to the North-Western Economic Conference in Petrograd
. There, however, the project was declined, and in 1924 the Murmansk Governorate Planning Commission developed yet another plan to divide the governorate into districts.
The new plan proposed only minor changes to the volost borders. However, it again included a provision to transfer Kandalakshskaya Volost from the Karelian ASSR (into which the Karelian Labor Commune was transformed in 1923) to Murmansk Governorate; as this merger was approved by the volost population once again during the peasant conference on February 10, 1924. The plan was approved by the Presidium of the Murmansk Governorate Executive Committee on July 8, 1924 and forwarded to the administrative commission of the VTsIK. While the VTsIK approved the transfer of some inhabited localities between the volosts; in general the plan was declined and Kandalakshskaya Volost remained a part of the Karelian ASSR.
The work on the redistricting of the governorate resumed in spring 1926, for which purpose a special Redistricting Commission had been established. At the first meeting on May 17, 1926, the commission decided to transform the governorate into an okrug
and suggested two possible redistricting schemes. The first scheme suggested the creation of eight districts with the administrative centers in Alexandrovsk, Kandalaksha, Kola, Kuzomen, Lovozero, Ponoy, Teriberka
, and Umba
. The other scheme suggested six districts: Alexandrovsky (with the administrative center in Alexandrovsk), Kolsko-Loparsky (Kola), Kandalakshsko-Umbsky (Kandalaksha), Tersky (Kuzomen), Lovozersky (Lovozero), and Teribersky (Teriberka). Both scheme assumed the transfer of Kandalakshskaya Volost to the okrug, so the third scheme, without such a merger, was also proposed as an alternative.
By the summer of 1926, two redistricting projects were refined and offered for consideration. The first project suggested the replacement of the existing nine volosts with six districts, each of which would have a certain economic specialization:
The second project suggested the incorporation of Kandalakshskaya Volost into the okrug, which would become a separate Kandalakshsky District with the administrative center in Kandalaksha and including additionally the territory of Umbskaya Volost and the southern portion of Kolsko-Loparskaya Volost, namely Yona-Babinsky Selsoviet and a part of Ekostrovsky Selsoviet; the joint territory was then to be divided into three new selsoviets (Babinsky, Khibinsky, and Yensky). Other differences from the first project included the creation of Kuzomensky District with the administrative center in Kuzomen and including the territories of Kuzomenskaya and Tetrinskaya Volosts (as opposed to larger Tersky District suggested by the first project) and a smaller Kolsky District, which, compared to the first project, would cede its southern portion to Kandalakshsky District.
The chairs of the volost executive commissions approved the first project during their meeting on June 25, 1926, but the extended Murmansk Governorate Redistricting Commission made several amendments on July 14, 1926. The names of proposed districts were changed from Zapadny Murmansky to Alexandrovsky, from Vostochny Murmansky to Teribersky, and from Kolsky to Kolsko-Loparsky. Furthermore, Iokangsky Selsoviet of Ponoyskaya Volost was to be included into Teribersky District, and Pyalitsky Selsoviet of Tetrinskaya Volost—into Ponoysky District. The Presidium of the Murmansk Governorate Executive Commission approved this amended project on July 19, 1926, and the Plenary Session of the Murmansk Governorate Executive Commission and the members of the Murmansk City Soviet followed suit on August 3, 1926. However, on April 18, 1927 the Presidium of the Murmansk Governorate Executive Commission changed the scheme yet again, increasing the number of districts to seven:
The Presidium revised and approved this scheme one last time on May 23, 1927; the number of districts was again reduced to six—Umbsky District was taken off the list with the territory of Umbskaya Volost to be included into Tersky District instead.
(which was divided into six districts) and included into Leningrad Oblast
.
s of Arkhangelsk Governorate established in 1857. Consequently, all of the populated places in the south of Kolsko-Loparskaya Volost were unambiguously a part of Murmansk Governorate. This changed in 1923, when the usage rights for two forest divisions in the south of Murmansk Governorate were passed to the colonization department of the Murman Railway. Since the forest divisions' territories were located in both Murmansk Governorate and the Karelian ASSR, for convenience purposes the colonization department's maps showed the Kandalaksha Forest Division as being entirely on the territory of the Karelian ASSR, which in practice meant that the map showed several inhabited localities of Ekostrovsky Selsoviet of Kolsko-Loparskaya Volost of Murmansk Governorate as being located on the territory of the Karelian ASSR. The governorate's documents, however, continued to list these inhabited localities as being a part of Ekostrovsky Selsoviet.
Later, when the NKVD
was creating maps for its own use, it used the colonization department's map as a basis, and the resulting map was used by the NKVD for official purposes. The Murmansk Governorate Executive Committee pointed out this discrepancy on several occasions, but the problem was not resolved by the time the governorate was transformed into an okrug.
Guberniya
A guberniya was a major administrative subdivision of the Russian Empire usually translated as government, governorate, or province. Such administrative division was preserved for sometime upon the collapse of the empire in 1917. A guberniya was ruled by a governor , a word borrowed from Latin ,...
) of the early Russian SFSR
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic , commonly referred to as Soviet Russia, Bolshevik Russia, or simply Russia, was the largest, most populous and economically developed republic in the former Soviet Union....
which existed in 1921–1927. The governorate was established on the territory of former Alexandrovsky Uyezd
Alexandrovsky Uyezd
Alexandrovsky Uyezd was an administrative division of Arkhangelsk Governorate of the Russian Empire and later of the Russian SFSR.The origins of Alexandrovsky Uyezd trace back to Kolsky Uyezd, which existed on this territory since the early 16th century until , 1858, when Tsar Alexander II...
of Arkhangelsk Governorate
Arkhangelsk Governorate
Archangelsk Governorate was an administrative division of the Russian Empire, which existed from 1796 until 1929. Its seat was in Arkhangelsk...
by the All-Russian Central Executive Committee
All-Russian Central Executive Committee
All-Russian Central Executive Committee , was the highest legislative, administrative, and revising body of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. Although the All-Russian Congress of Soviets had supreme authority, in periods between its sessions its powers were passed to VTsIK...
(VTsIK) Decree issued on June 13, 1921. The administrative center was in Murmansk
Murmansk
Murmansk is a city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It serves as a seaport and is located in the extreme northwest part of Russia, on the Kola Bay, from the Barents Sea on the northern shore of the Kola Peninsula, not far from Russia's borders with Norway and Finland...
.
1921
At the time of its creation, the governorate was administratively divided into nine volostVolost
Volost was a traditional administrative subdivision in Eastern Europe.In earlier East Slavic history, volost was a name for the territory ruled by the knyaz, a principality; either as an absolute ruler or with varying degree of autonomy from the Velikiy Knyaz...
s and had three cities and towns. However, just one month after the creation of the governorate, a new project of the administrative-territorial division was proposed at the First Congress of the Governorate Soviets. According to the project, the governorate's territory was to be divided into four uyezd
Uyezd
Uyezd or uezd was an administrative subdivision of Rus', Muscovy, Russian Empire, and the early Russian SFSR which was in use from the 13th century. Uyezds for most of the history in Russia were a secondary-level of administrative division...
s:
- Murmansky, which was to cover the eastern coast of the Arctic OceanArctic OceanThe Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions...
up to the Yokanga River, the area of the Kola BayKola BayKola Bay or Murmansk Fjord is a 57-km-long fjord of the Barents Sea that cuts into the northern part of the Kola Peninsula. It is up to 7 km wide and has a depth of 200 to 300 metres. The Tuloma and Kola Rivers discharge into the bay....
excluding Alexandrovsk, and all the areas adjacent to the railroad; - Ledovity, which was to include the western part of the Murman coastMurman CoastThe Murman Coast is a coastal area in Murmansk Oblast in northwest Russia. It is located on the southern side of the Barents Sea, between the Norway–Russia border and Cape Svyatoy Nos...
, bordering FinlandFinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
in the west and Kolsko-Loparskaya Volost in the south; - Kolsky, which would include the territory of Kolsko-Loparskaya Volost;
- Tersky, which would include the territories of Kuzomenskaya, Ponoyskaya, Tetrinskaya, and Umbskaya Volosts and have the administrative center in KuzomenKuzomenKuzomen is the rural locality in Tersky District of Murmansk Oblast, Russia. The village is located on the Kola Peninsula. Located at a height of 11 m above sea level....
.
The proposal, however, was shelved and a special commission was appointed to study the possibilities of changing the administrative-territorial structure of the governorate.
1922–1924
By 1922, the Murmansk Governorate Statistics Bureau and the Economics Council of the Governorate jointly developed a new project of the division of the governorate into districts. The districts were delineated using the economic principles and included:- Oceanic fishing-based, which consisted of two areas—the western coast of the Kola PeninsulaKola PeninsulaThe Kola Peninsula is a peninsula in the far northwest of Russia. Constituting the bulk of the territory of Murmansk Oblast, it lies almost completely to the north of the Arctic Circle and is washed by the Barents Sea in the north and the White Sea in the east and southeast...
(Alexandrovskaya and Novozerskaya Volosts) and the eastern coast (Teriberskaya Volost)—and had its administrative center in Murmansk. The division into the western and eastern areas took into the consideration the ethnic composition of the population—the population of the western coast was predominantly Finnish while that of the eastern coast was mostly RussianRussiansThe Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
. - Sea fishing-based, located on the coast of the White SeaWhite SeaThe White Sea is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is surrounded by Karelia to the west, the Kola Peninsula to the north, and the Kanin Peninsula to the northeast. The whole of the White Sea is under Russian sovereignty and considered to be part of...
south of the Ponoy RiverPonoy RiverPonoy River is a river on the Kola Peninsula in Russia. It is 426 km in length. The area of its basin is 15,500 km².-Geography:...
. Administratively, it included the territories of Kuzomenskaya, Tetrinskaya, and Umbskaya Volosts. It was also proposed to transfer the eastern portion of Kandalakshskaya VolostKandalakshskaya VolostKandalakshskaya Volost was an administrative division over time included into various administrative divisions of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, Russian Empire, and the Russian SFSR....
of Kemsky Uyezd of Arkhangelsk GovernorateArkhangelsk GovernorateArchangelsk Governorate was an administrative division of the Russian Empire, which existed from 1796 until 1929. Its seat was in Arkhangelsk...
to this district, and to make KandalakshaKandalakshaKandalaksha is a town in Kandalakshsky District of Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located at the head of Kandalaksha Gulf on the White Sea, beyond the Arctic Circle. Population: 40,564 ; -History:The settlement has existed since the 11th century...
its administrative center, as the volost's populace voted in 1921 to transfer the volost to Murmansky UyezdAlexandrovsky UyezdAlexandrovsky Uyezd was an administrative division of Arkhangelsk Governorate of the Russian Empire and later of the Russian SFSR.The origins of Alexandrovsky Uyezd trace back to Kolsky Uyezd, which existed on this territory since the early 16th century until , 1858, when Tsar Alexander II...
and that de-facto they were paying taxes to the Murmansk Department of Finance. - Timber industry-based, on the territory of Kolsko-Loparskaya Volost. As the territory of the proposed district was to be quite large, it was suggested that it is to be further subdivided into the northern and southern areas.
- Reindeer herding-based, on the territory of Lovozerskaya and Ponoyskaya Volosts. This district was also proposed to be subdivided into two areas: western (all of Lovozerskaya Volost and the territory of Ponoyskaya Volost in the upper streams of the Ponoy River with the administrative center in Lovozero) and eastern (the remaining territory of Ponoyskaya Volost with the administrative center in Ponoy). Reindeer herding was to play major role in the western area, whereas the eastern area, while having some of reindeer herding activity of its own, would primarily specialize in fur tradeFur tradeThe fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
. - The fifth district (Belomorsky) was supposed to shape the borders of the governorate more neatly. It was to be composed of the part of the territory of Kemsky Uyezd of the Karelian Labor Commune and of Onezhsky Uyezd of Arkhangelsk Governorate. The district was to be divided into two sub-districts: Kemsko-Sorotsky (comprising Kemskaya, Keretskaya, Kovdskaya, Pongomskaya, Pudozhemskaya, Sorotskaya, and Vychetaybolskaya Volosts of Kemsky Uyezd; with the administrative center in SorokaBelomorskBelomorsk is a town and the administrative center of Belomorsky District of the Republic of Karelia, Russia, located on the Onega Bay on the shore of the White Sea. Population:...
) and Onezhsky (comprising Kolchachinskaya, Koledomskaya, Kusheretskaya, Lapinskaya, Maloshuyskaya, Nimencheskaya, Nyukhotskaya, Sumskaya, and Vorzogorskaya Volosts, as well as Podporozhskaya Volost with the town of Onega, southwestern portion of Kokorinskaya Volost, and western portions of Mardinskaya, Navolotskaya, Piyalskaya, Posadno-Kirillovskaya, and Prilutskaya Volosts of Onezhsky Uyezd; with the administrative center in Onega).
The project was approved at the session of the Murmansk Governorate Economic Conference on January 2, 1923 and sent for further consideration to the North-Western Economic Conference in Petrograd
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
. There, however, the project was declined, and in 1924 the Murmansk Governorate Planning Commission developed yet another plan to divide the governorate into districts.
The new plan proposed only minor changes to the volost borders. However, it again included a provision to transfer Kandalakshskaya Volost from the Karelian ASSR (into which the Karelian Labor Commune was transformed in 1923) to Murmansk Governorate; as this merger was approved by the volost population once again during the peasant conference on February 10, 1924. The plan was approved by the Presidium of the Murmansk Governorate Executive Committee on July 8, 1924 and forwarded to the administrative commission of the VTsIK. While the VTsIK approved the transfer of some inhabited localities between the volosts; in general the plan was declined and Kandalakshskaya Volost remained a part of the Karelian ASSR.
1925–1927
On January 12, 1925 the VTsIK suspended all work on the changes to the administrative-territorial divisions of the territory of the RSFSR in order to re-group and to improve planning. No changes were proposed until October 16, 1925, when at the Murmansk Governorate Commission meeting work on compiling the lists of the urban and rural localities was initiated. The commission categorized Murmansk, Alexandrovsk, and Kola as urban; however, a recommendation was sent to the VTsIK to demote the latter two to rural localities due to economic conditions, sparse population, low trade volume, lack of industrial enterprises, and "general regress". On March 15, 1926, the VTsIK approved the recommendation, and Murmansk remained the only town on the governorate's territory, while Alexandrovsk and Kola were re-categorized as rural.The work on the redistricting of the governorate resumed in spring 1926, for which purpose a special Redistricting Commission had been established. At the first meeting on May 17, 1926, the commission decided to transform the governorate into an okrug
Okrug
Okrug is an administrative division of some Slavic states. The word "okrug" is a loanword in English, but it is nevertheless often translated as "area", "district", or "region"....
and suggested two possible redistricting schemes. The first scheme suggested the creation of eight districts with the administrative centers in Alexandrovsk, Kandalaksha, Kola, Kuzomen, Lovozero, Ponoy, Teriberka
Teriberka
Teriberka is a rural locality in Kolsky District of Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located on the Barents Sea coast, at the mouth of the Teriberka River.-History:...
, and Umba
Umba, Russia
Umba is an urban locality in Tersky District of Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located on the Kola Peninsula at the point where the Umba River flows into the Kandalaksha Gulf. Population:...
. The other scheme suggested six districts: Alexandrovsky (with the administrative center in Alexandrovsk), Kolsko-Loparsky (Kola), Kandalakshsko-Umbsky (Kandalaksha), Tersky (Kuzomen), Lovozersky (Lovozero), and Teribersky (Teriberka). Both scheme assumed the transfer of Kandalakshskaya Volost to the okrug, so the third scheme, without such a merger, was also proposed as an alternative.
By the summer of 1926, two redistricting projects were refined and offered for consideration. The first project suggested the replacement of the existing nine volosts with six districts, each of which would have a certain economic specialization:
- Zapadny Murmansky, with the administrative center in Alexandrovsk and including the territories of Novozerskaya and Alexandrovskaya Volosts (the latter without Minkinsky Selsoviet). Its specialization was codCodCod is the common name for genus Gadus, belonging to the family Gadidae, and is also used in the common name for various other fishes. Cod is a popular food with a mild flavor, low fat content and a dense, flaky white flesh. Cod livers are processed to make cod liver oil, an important source of...
fishing. This district was the only one where the ethnic composition of the population was taken into consideration. - Vostochny Murmansky, with the administrative center in Teriberka and including the territory of Teriberskaya Volost. This district's specialization also was cod fishing.
- Lovozersky, with the administrative center in Lovozero and including the territory of Lovozerskaya Volost. The specialization of this district was deer herding and related industries.
- Kolsky, with the administrative center in Kola and including the territories of Kolsko-Loparskaya Volost and Minkinsky Selsoviet of Alexandrovskaya Volost. The district's industries were mixed, and included deer herding, fresh water fishing, as well as forest and railroad industries.
- Tersky, with the administrative center in Kuzomen and including the territories of Kuzomenskaya, Tetrinskaya, and Umbskaya Volosts. The district specialized mainly in salmonSalmonSalmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
fishing. - Ponoysky, with the administrative center in Ponoy and including the territory of Ponoyskaya Volost. Despite the fact that the economic activity in this district was similar in nature to Lovozersky and Tersky Districts', Ponoysky District was still to be a separate entity due to its size and remoteness from the administrative centers of other districts.
The second project suggested the incorporation of Kandalakshskaya Volost into the okrug, which would become a separate Kandalakshsky District with the administrative center in Kandalaksha and including additionally the territory of Umbskaya Volost and the southern portion of Kolsko-Loparskaya Volost, namely Yona-Babinsky Selsoviet and a part of Ekostrovsky Selsoviet; the joint territory was then to be divided into three new selsoviets (Babinsky, Khibinsky, and Yensky). Other differences from the first project included the creation of Kuzomensky District with the administrative center in Kuzomen and including the territories of Kuzomenskaya and Tetrinskaya Volosts (as opposed to larger Tersky District suggested by the first project) and a smaller Kolsky District, which, compared to the first project, would cede its southern portion to Kandalakshsky District.
The chairs of the volost executive commissions approved the first project during their meeting on June 25, 1926, but the extended Murmansk Governorate Redistricting Commission made several amendments on July 14, 1926. The names of proposed districts were changed from Zapadny Murmansky to Alexandrovsky, from Vostochny Murmansky to Teribersky, and from Kolsky to Kolsko-Loparsky. Furthermore, Iokangsky Selsoviet of Ponoyskaya Volost was to be included into Teribersky District, and Pyalitsky Selsoviet of Tetrinskaya Volost—into Ponoysky District. The Presidium of the Murmansk Governorate Executive Commission approved this amended project on July 19, 1926, and the Plenary Session of the Murmansk Governorate Executive Commission and the members of the Murmansk City Soviet followed suit on August 3, 1926. However, on April 18, 1927 the Presidium of the Murmansk Governorate Executive Commission changed the scheme yet again, increasing the number of districts to seven:
- Kolsko-Loparsky, on the territory of Kolsko-Loparskaya Volost and Minkinsky Selsoviet of Alexandrovskaya Volost;
- Alexandrovsky, on the territories of Novozerskaya and Alexandrovskaya Volosts; the latter without Minkinsky Selsoviet;
- Teribersky, on the territory of Teriberskaya Volost;
- Ponoysky, on the territory of Ponoyskaya Volost;
- Tersky, on the territories of Kuzomenskaya and Tetrinskaya Volosts;
- Umbsky, on the territory of Umbskaya Volost;
- Lovozersky, on the territory of Lovozerskaya Volost.
The Presidium revised and approved this scheme one last time on May 23, 1927; the number of districts was again reduced to six—Umbsky District was taken off the list with the territory of Umbskaya Volost to be included into Tersky District instead.
Transformation
On August 1, 1927, the VTsIK issued two Resolutions: "On the Establishment of Leningrad Oblast" and "On the Borders and Composition of the Okrugs of Leningrad Oblast". Murmansk Governorate was transformed into Murmansk OkrugMurmansk Okrug
Murmansk Okrug was an administrative division of the Russian SFSR, Soviet Union, which existed in 1927–1938.-Creation:The okrug was established on August 1, 1927, when the All-Russian Central Executive Committee issued two Resolutions: "On the Establishment of Leningrad Oblast" and "On the...
(which was divided into six districts) and included into Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . It was established on August 1, 1927, although it was not until 1946 that the oblast's borders had been mostly settled in their present position...
.
Karelian border issue
Until 1923, the border between Murmansk Governorate and the Karelian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was the same as the border between the historical Kemsky and Kolsky UyezdKolsky Uyezd
Kolsky Uyezd was an administrative division of the Tsardom of Russia and later of the Russian Empire.-16th–17th centuries:Russian expansion to the Kola Peninsula can be traced to the early 16th century when the Russian monk Trifon founded an Orthodox monastery at Pechenga...
s of Arkhangelsk Governorate established in 1857. Consequently, all of the populated places in the south of Kolsko-Loparskaya Volost were unambiguously a part of Murmansk Governorate. This changed in 1923, when the usage rights for two forest divisions in the south of Murmansk Governorate were passed to the colonization department of the Murman Railway. Since the forest divisions' territories were located in both Murmansk Governorate and the Karelian ASSR, for convenience purposes the colonization department's maps showed the Kandalaksha Forest Division as being entirely on the territory of the Karelian ASSR, which in practice meant that the map showed several inhabited localities of Ekostrovsky Selsoviet of Kolsko-Loparskaya Volost of Murmansk Governorate as being located on the territory of the Karelian ASSR. The governorate's documents, however, continued to list these inhabited localities as being a part of Ekostrovsky Selsoviet.
Later, when the NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
was creating maps for its own use, it used the colonization department's map as a basis, and the resulting map was used by the NKVD for official purposes. The Murmansk Governorate Executive Committee pointed out this discrepancy on several occasions, but the problem was not resolved by the time the governorate was transformed into an okrug.